"He's very handsome, isn't he?" (Enid)
"Of course he's gorgeous, he's your friend, right? I saw you taking a group photo a few moments ago." (Valerie)
"That's right, would you like me to introduce you?" (Enid)
"I've already spoken to him a couple of times, but would you help me get his number? I gave him mine, but he's so absent-minded he's bound to have lost it somewhere." (Valerie)
"I'd have to ask him first. You know, giving private information to a stranger is a bit inappropriate." (Enid)
"How silly of me, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Valerie Scott, I work here across the street at Veleta." (Valerie)
"Enid Sinclair."
Enid shook hands with the attractive 25-year-old girl, who looked older and had a mature charm. Her long black hair and tight clothes accentuated her curves, and her impressive chest threatened to spill out of the neckline of her white T-shirt and light brown leather jacket.
"I love it when he does that, you know, tilting his head a little or crossing his arms when he hears something interesting." Valérie looked over at William, who was sitting with some older men at one of the picnic tables.
It was a peculiar sight, three elderly gentlemen with white hair and bulging bellies drinking beer from large glass mugs while laughing loudly, and at the other end of the table, an elegant student from a private academy dressed in his unwrinkled blue uniform and sunglasses that looked as expensive as his jewellery.
"I understand, and when he fixes his hair after the wind messes it up." (Enid)
"It's cute when he does that, it reminds me of a peacock preening its feathers." (Valerie)
"Or when he focuses so much on something that he loses sight of those around him, you have to repeat things to him several times until he pays attention, especially when he's listening to music." (Enid)
"You saw him too while he was painting the mural. He looked so handsome with those paint stains on his cheeks. I took some photos of him. If you like, I can send them to you." (Valerie)
"I have mine, but it's funny how he's always impeccably dressed and when it comes to painting, he doesn't mind getting dirty." (Enid)
Enid put her hands behind her back and stood briefly on her tiptoes. She looked happy to be talking to someone about the person she likes.
Meanwhile - Picnic Table
"Hahahaha, I'm telling you, that idiot Steve had his whole body bandaged like a mummy, Hahaha!!!" (Curt)
"That idiot deserves it. I heard that a month ago he pawned his wedding ring for some quick cash." (Kelvin)
The two older gentlemen were Curt Boms, the manager of the most popular bar in Jericho, and Kelvin Shifer, the owner of a successful auto repair shop. They clinked their pints of pale beer together, scattering golden droplets all over the table.
"You shouldn't talk about him like that. He's trying to turn his life around. Yesterday he paid me back some money he owed me. He's doing it for his son Toby, who has pneumonia, and now they're both in hospital." (Brandon)
"You're right. How's the boy doing?" (Curt)
"I heard she's getting a bit better but she's still a bit fragile. I'm surprised her wife can pay the bills." (Kelvin)
"Her family is supporting her, but everything has its limits." (Brandon)
The third voice, which sounded serious, belonged to Brandon Samcort, the owner of a large apple farm. He looked more serious than the other two and drank his beer calmly. The dazzling sunlight felt pleasant on the skin and was perfect for having a drink.
William held a glass of dark beer in his hands. Weems gave him a warning look from afar and raised one of his fingers.
(I guess that means just one) (William)
William smiled gratefully and nodded to Weems.
"Sorry, this isn't what you wanted to talk about, depressing topics and adult problems. What you're interested in is the failure of Galpin's plan to deal with the black demon." (Curt)
"Black demon?"
William tilted his head with interest and turned his gaze to Brandon.
"An old legend from years ago, it was popular among the hunters who came every season." (Brandon)
"Something about a great beast that lived hidden in the forest, avoiding humans, large with fur as black as night and large antlers like those of a stag." (Curt)
"And that's not the most interesting part. Rumour had it that if you took a part of its body, it would bring you good luck one out of every three times you needed it." (Kelvin)
"Enough with the rumours, the young man wants to know what wasn't in the news." (Brandon)
"Twenty-five men, five dogs, five injured, three of them slightly and two seriously, in a bear attack during an operation to hunt down the man-eating bear." (William)
"What the news didn't say was that two teams were attacked by small creatures with blood-red fur, as fast as a gazelle and as strong as a grown man. One was killed by Sheriff Galpin, and the other had to be surrounded by ten people, yet one was injured and the tracking dog died." (Curt)
(So there were still some imps left.) (William)
"Noble did his best to keep the information to himself, but a drunk man doesn't lie, especially one who is afraid" (Brandon)
"What about David's group?" (William)
"They found the bear first. Cass and Steve got a glimpse of it. According to Cass, it was huge, the biggest he'd ever seen, not that he'd seen many bears. It had black fur and large bumps on its head. He shot it several times but said the bullets didn't seem to hurt it much" (Kelvin)
"Antlers?" (William)
"Maybe, it was dark and I was busy shooting at the beast, David's son of a bitch ran away with his tail between his legs." (Kelvin)
"When Galpin and the rest found him, he was on the verge of death. He hid in a small crevice where the bear's huge body couldn't fit. I'd say he was lucky." (Curt)
"If you can call that good luck, with one arm missing and large chunks of flesh torn from his body while he was still alive." (Brandon)
"Good point." (Curt)
"How is he?" (William)
"He's in a delicate condition in hospital. He was lucky to find a good hiding place and lucky to make it to hospital alive. Maybe he'll be lucky again and survive until next weekend." (Kelvin)
"One last thing and I'll leave you alone."
"Don't worry, it's always good to have someone to talk to about this kind of thing. It's like I'm talking to my grandson." (Curt)
"I'm curious about where the legend of the Black Demon comes from." (William)
"That's what they call him because of old Harrison. Twenty or thirty years ago, he successfully hunted one and made a raincoat out of its skin. He never took it off. He went everywhere saying it brought him good luck. He gambled every day and won one out of every three times." (Brandon)
"What made his story so popular was the death of its protagonist, a guy under the influence of some kind of drug who tried to steal old Harrison's coat. With his revolver in hand, he threatened to shoot him if he didn't hand it over." (Curt)
"He would blow his brains out with a single shot, and that's what he did. He fired his revolver. Harrison had lost six dollars in two bets with street performers that morning. Surprisingly, the bullet had some kind of manufacturing defect and didn't fire like any other." (Brandon)
"Let me guess, the guy also knew the rumour. He fired a second time." (William)
"Exactly, my young friend. The guy took Harrison's jacket from the corpse and disappeared with it." (Brandon)
"It was a very pleasant conversation, but I should go now. As a thank you, I'll buy the next round." (William)
"It's not necessary." (Curt)
"Don't worry, it's only a few quid." William finished his glass of beer and wiped his lips with his handkerchief.
*Sigh*
"Right, we'll take you up on your offer." (Brandon)
Brandon stopped Curt and Kelvin, who wanted to continue refusing. After William left, the three of them looked at each other.
"Was it okay for us to talk about these things with him?" (Curt)
"Maybe we talked too much." (Kelvin)
"He would have found out from someone else anyway." (Brandon)
Right in front of the Veleta café.
"Looks like Will's finished his conversation. Do you still want his number?" (Enid)
"I'd love to." (Valerie)
Enid waved to William from a distance, who quickly noticed her and approached her slowly.
*Mwah*
William raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Enid kissed him and gently bit his lower lip.
(That's new, at least in public) (William)
*Spill*
The sound of a drink falling to the floor caught William's attention. It was Valerie who had dropped her orange juice, and the faint smell of freshly squeezed fruit and cold ice filled the air.
"I... I'm sorry... I'll leave you two alone."
Valerie picked up the plastic cup from the floor before stammering a few last words and hurrying away.
"Satisfied?" William took Enid's small, soft hand.
"Somewhat. I don't like her." (Enid)
"Who were your new friends? They seem nice." (Enid)
"They are, very much so. At that age, few people pay attention to them. Curt, Brandon, and Kelvin told me something interesting." (William)